Adriana's submission for Monday, February 18

Jenny Kissed Me
James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784 - 1859) English essayist, poet and writer.

Jenny kissed me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in:
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say that health and wealth have missed me,
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kissed me.

A White Rose
John Boyle O'Reilly (1844-1890) Irish-born poet and novelist.

The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.

But I send you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.

Song: To Celia
Benjamin Jonson (1572 - 1637) English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor.

Drink to me, only with thine eyes
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I'll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine:
But might I of Jove's nectar sup
I would not change for thine.

I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honouring thee
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be
But thou thereon didst only breath
And sent'st it back to me:
Since, when it grows and smells, I swear,
Not of itself but thee.

Frank's submission for Monday, February 18

Barter

Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

Sarah Teasdale

Frank's submission for Monday, February 18

FROM St. Peter's Complaint, 1595

Look home
By Robert Southwell

Retirëd thoughts enjoy their own delights,
As beauty doth in self-beholding eye ;
Man's mind a mirror is of heavenly sights,
A brief wherein all marvels summëd lie,
Of fairest forms and sweetest shapes the store,
Most graceful all, yet thought may grace them more.

The mind a creature is, yet can create,
To nature's patterns adding higher skill ;
Of finest works with better could the state
If force of wit had equal power of will.
Device of man in working hath no end,
What thought can think, another thought can mend.

Man's soul of endless beauty image is,
Drawn by the work of endless skill and might ;
This skillful might gave many sparks of bliss
And, to discern this bliss, a native light ;
To frame God's image as his worths required
His might, his skill, his word and will conspired.

All that he had his image should present,
All that it should present it could afford,
To that he could afford his will was bent,
His will was followed with performing word.
Let this suffice, by this conceive the rest,—
He should, he could, he would, he did, the best.

________________________________________

Source: Poetry of the English Renaissance 1509-1660.
J. William Hebel and Hoyt H. Hudson, Eds.
New York: F. S. Crofts & Co, 1941. 236.

Gabe's submission for Monday, February 18

Looke home
By Robert Southwell

Retyred thoughtes enjoy their owne delightes
As beauty doth in self behoulding eye
Mans mynde a myrrhour is of heavenly sightes
A breife wherein all marveyles summed lye.
Of fayrest formes and sweetest shapes the store
Most gracefull all yet thought may grace them more.

The mynde a Creature is yet can create
To natures paterns adding higher skill
Of fynest workes witt better could the state
If force of witt had equall poure of will
Devise of man in working hath no ende
What thought can thinke an other thought can mende.

Mans soule of endles bewtyes image is
Drawen by the worke of endles skill and might
This skilfull might gave many sparkes of blisse
And to descerne this blisse a native light
To frame gods Image as his worthes requird
His might his skill his word and will conspir’d

All that he had his image should present
All that it should present it could afforde
To that he coulde afforde his will was bente
His will was followed with performing word.
Lett this suffice by this conceave the rest
He should he could he would he did the best.


Notes from St. Robert Southwell: Collected Poems. Eds. Peter Davidson and Anne Sweeney, 2007.

A complex meditation on that which is divine within the human mind and soul. This is expressed in Plato's terms of earthly ideas and aspirations being like dim memories of a heavenly original, in the words of 1.8 'To natures patterns adding higher skill'.
1.13 endles bewtyes: of the beauty of God in heaven.
11.15-18: 'God's skilful power gave sparks of intuition to humans and the native light of intelligence to follow up these intuitions, until the human mind comes to try to imagine God, the highest action of which it is capable.'